San Diego Chargers 2015

[broncoFan!]

Hey Chargers fans, so where do you see your organization headed in 2015 and beyond?

With the departure of Ryan Mathews it seems like Melvin Gordon is going to be the new guy in town carrying the rock. (Obviously he'll have to beat out Branden Oliver and Donald Brown for the job but if he's as good as the FO thinks he is that shouldn't be an issue.)

*Congratulations on that pick by the way I think he's going to be a nightmare for the Broncos for future years to come.*

However apart from Keenan Allen it seems your WR core is lacking a little depth. How do you think they are going to address these issues?

Also, star players Antonio Gates and Eric Weddle are still really good players imo but they are getting old.

It definitely seems like the Chargers are looking into the future while keeping the past in check (i.e. ensuring Phillip Rivers retires in San Diego.)

Thoughts?

[Puddleglum]

Hey Chargers fans, so where do you see your organization headed in 2015 and beyond?

LA

With the departure of Ryan Mathews it seems like Melvin Gordon is going to be the new guy in town carrying the rock. (Obviously he'll have to beat out Branden Oliver and Donald Brown for the job but if he's as good as the FO thinks he is that shouldn't be an issue.)

*Congratulations on that pick by the way I think he's going to be a nightmare for the Broncos for future years to come.*

I'm not going to miss Mathews, good kid and player but if you can't stay healthy you're not really there. The Eagles signed him to something like a 4 mil a year 3 year contract with nearly 8 mil guaranteed. It's a ludicrous contract for the caliber of player and he'll be a steal... if he stays healthy... and that's a font sized 172 bold and underlined "if."

As for Gordon, like any draft pick it will take some time to see what you get but I get the feeling most of San Diego is excited. That was a King's ransom to move up 2 spots though, that hurt. Between you and me I think Donald Brown could be on the outs as he's not living up to his contract, and the ball seems to go further when it's handed off to Oliver or Woodhead. I've been more concerned about the O-line but adding Barksdale was a good pickup IMHO. I want to slide Fluker into guard where I think he's got Pro Bowl potential, but the Chargers seem to think differently which is unfortunate.

However apart from Keenan Allen it seems your WR core is lacking a little depth. How do you think they are going to address these issues?

Here's where thing get tricky, if you're talking about true #1 receivers then oh yeah, there is no depth on the Chargers at WR. I would say the Chargers do have many Tier 2 receivers (and I include Allen in that) though. With old man Floyd now having some support in Jacoby Jones and Stevie Johnson as well as an interesting group fighting it out for the few spots remaining, it's a camp battle worth watching. I would not call it a weakness but I won't refer to it as a strength either until about 6 games in when things IMO start meshing. I think Dontrelle Inman (sp?) is a keeper and will flash this season.

Also, star players Antonio Gates and Eric Weddle are still really good players imo but they are getting old.

Here is where I think the Chargers are really losing the off-season. Pissing off Weddle is just plain not a good idea, is he getting older? Certainly but the guy is just such an integral cog in that machine. I can understand wanting to deal with Rivers before getting a clearer picture of what can be done for Weddle, but when they signed Liuget to that absurd contract everything flew out the door on that one. I think Weddle's gone and considering all the time and effort the guy has put in I wish him well and I hope he and his beard get a ring if they can't find a way to stay.

As for Gates, they guy will go to the Charger HoF, doubt the actual HoF which is sad and a bit of a snub but I don't make the rules. He's not playing to his contract but after this year I'm pretty sure he's done. The rub there is that he may be old but the guy found a spark in his later years and just keeps producing, don't get me wrong he's no Tony González, but he's playing well enough to keep a kid packed with potential riding the bench (Ladarius Greene). This is the last year on Greene's rookie contract and the kid flashes when he's in but he doesn't see the field enough. Some team will scoop him up early next year and benefit from all the work the Chargers did.

It definitely seems like the Chargers are looking into the future while keeping the past in check (i.e. ensuring Phillip Rivers retires in San Diego.)

I want Rivers in San Diego, San Diego wants Rivers in San Diego, and I truly believe Rivers wants Rivers in San Diego. The problem here is I am of the opinion that the Chargers DO NOT want to be in San Diego, and for that reason I think everything is needlessly complicated right now due to that darn stadium.

Thoughts

It's going to be an interesting year, I think the Chargers can take the division but 2 things need to happen (aside from healthy players... which is a miracle in and of itself):

1. The Chargers need to find a consistent pass rush from the OLB'ers
2. If Fluker moves to guard and Barksdale to ORT and that line produces... Gordon becomes the favorite for OROY

Thanks for stopping in, I hope I gave you some decent answers, come check back 10 games in and lets see how we did with our crystal balls.

[baphamet]

hard to say, it looks like they are committed to running the football when you consider the upgrades at OL they made. they brought in guys that are good at run blocking and upgraded both guard positions that needed it desperately (even though we still don't know who is actually going to play RG/RT).

i wouldn't have had a problem if they brought Mathews back for cheap and drafted a lineman but since they didn't i like the guy they brought in, it's the guy i wanted them to draft. i am also really stoked that woodhead will be back, that is pretty big for the offense.

but yeah, next year they will have to address the WR position big time. the problem isn't depth necessarily, we don't have any top level receivers. right now allen and floyd are our starters with floyd likely on his last season, that isn't good enough.

we do have a little depth after that but not a solid 1 or 2. the one good thing is our WR's are bigger which should help with the running game.

all signs are pointing to a run first offense.

defensively the chargers will be a mystery. to me, they are a top 10-15 defense at best and 20-25 at worst. i think the main thing on both offense and defense is can they actually stay healthy for the most part?

i think we have pretty good secondary if healthy but the front 7 is questionable all around for the most part.

[dwalls2]

Any guesses as where the Chargers will play their home games? Is there a separate link for such speculation?

[broncoFan!]

hard to say, it looks like they are committed to running the football when you consider the upgrades at OL they made. they brought in guys that are good at run blocking and upgraded both guard positions that needed it desperately (even though we still don't know who is actually going to play RG/RT).

i wouldn't have had a problem if they brought Mathews back for cheap and drafted a lineman but since they didn't i like the guy they brought in, it's the guy i wanted them to draft. i am also really stoked that woodhead will be back, that is pretty big for the offense.

but yeah, next year they will have to address the WR position big time. the problem isn't depth necessarily, we don't have any top level receivers. right now allen and floyd are our starters with floyd likely on his last season, that isn't good enough.

we do have a little depth after that but not a solid 1 or 2. the one good thing is our WR's are bigger which should help with the running game.

all signs are pointing to a run first offense.

defensively the chargers will be a mystery. to me, they are a top 10-15 defense at best and 20-25 at worst. i think the main thing on both offense and defense is can they actually stay healthy for the most part?

i think we have pretty good secondary if healthy but the front 7 is questionable all around for the most part.

Almost seems like they are copying Denver's idea, run-first offense and control the time on the clock with a good run game.

My only concern for them would be that with the rookie that might be hard to do seeing as how inconsistent rookies can be. I think Rivers is going to have to step up his game if you guys want to win the division.

Rivers is a pretty darn good QB when he's on his game but he is really streaky which would be a concern of mine if I was a Chargers fan.

Floyd is a consistent receiver but not elite for sure. We'll see if one of your other receivers or back up tight end steps up his or her game now that Gates is suspended.

Keenan Allen is really impressive, somebody to look at putting on my fantasy football team for sure.

That being said, he did have kind of a down year because that was his sophmore NFL year if I am not mistaken so a lot of teams had tape on him and how he plays at that point and how to stop him.

My guess is his junior year in the NFL year will be a make or break if he wants to be elite. We'll just have to see what happens!

[Puddleglum]

Any guesses as where the Chargers will play their home games? Is there a separate link for such speculation?

.................................................. ...........................San Diego




If you are looking to converse about the 2016 Chargers feel free to start a new thread.

[baphamet]

Almost seems like they are copying Denver's idea, run-first offense and control the time on the clock with a good run game.

that has been their philosophy from day 1 of the mccoy era. it hasn't worked out great for them so far, though. they have been throwing the ball more mainly because they didn't have a good running game.

My only concern for them would be that with the rookie that might be hard to do seeing as how inconsistent rookies can be. I think Rivers is going to have to step up his game if you guys want to win the division.

yeah he is a wild card for sure but if they can just say healthy, they have woodhead and oliver to help take pressure off of him. i'm more concerned with health and the run blocking, which was horrendous last year.

Rivers is a pretty darn good QB when he's on his game but he is really streaky which would be a concern of mine if I was a Chargers fan.

it's a concern for sure, i just gotta hope it was the injuries and lack of running game that mainly made him so streaky last year. he has proven in the past he can be very consistent, hope he gets back to that.

Floyd is a consistent receiver but not elite for sure. We'll see if one of your other receivers or back up tight end steps up his or her game now that Gates is suspended.

Keenan Allen is really impressive, somebody to look at putting on my fantasy football team for sure.

floyd will still be a deep threat (but not a consistent fantasy option), green is another wildcard that may break out now that gates is suspended but he drops passes sometimes.

allen is good but he is best in the slot, not as our #1 guy. without gates we are hurting kind of bad at receiver, receiver concerns me way more than our running game situation at this point. although an injury or two could change that real quick.

That being said, he did have kind of a down year because that was his sophmore NFL year if I am not mistaken so a lot of teams had tape on him and how he plays at that point and how to stop him.

My guess is his junior year in the NFL year will be a make or break if he wants to be elite. We'll just have to see what happens!

well yeah, his first season nobody was paying attention to him and he was just beasting it up. last year he had some of the best corners in the game shadowing him and he didn't fare as well.

he could bounce back and play better against elite corners this eyar but IMO we need a true #1 receiver thats big and can stretch the field. allen excels at route running, he is more of a possession type receiver and is really good at it.

i just don't think he is a legit #1.

receiver and the front 7 of our defense concern me the most on this team right now.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Baph, what do you think Austin Pettis's chances are of making the opening day roster?

[baphamet]

Baph, what do you think Austin Pettis's chances are of making the opening day roster?

gonna be tough for him, he is in competition with a few other guys who have played well in pre-season.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

gonna be tough for him, he is in competition with a few other guys who have played well in pre-season.

When I heard he signed with SD I really expected him to be the #3 guy. I was shocked to see him on the field last night with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

He'd be a really good slot guy....

[baphamet]

When I heard he signed with SD I really expected him to be the #3 guy. I was shocked to see him on the field last night with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

He'd be a really good slot guy....

the chargers are actually sneaky deep at WR, they just don't have a legit #1

[baphamet]

they already cut him.